‘Queen’ of the Nerds: A review of King of the Nerds

Celeste?!? Seriously? I am as shocked and angered as any other fan of this show with the recent and controversial ending. King of the Nerds was the very first reality show that capitalized on the current trend of “Nerd is cool” fashion and culture. With famous and legendary nerd hosts Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong (Lewis and Booger from Revenge of the Nerds), this show provided a friendly look into the nerd lifestyle enforcing nerd stereotypes while breaking some as well by creating a co-ed “Nerdvana” for all the nerds to live in.

With different and original challenges and “Nerd Offs” that stemmed from the different strengths of the players, it is fair to say that this show was by far the most original reality show I have ever watched. From the very first episode I began to form opinions on each character and decided who I hated and who I loved based on personality and nerdiness.

Well, as the nerds were booted off the show I really began to root for people who I didn’t expect to want to win. Clearly most of my favorites left early on into the game and I had to think over who I wanted to win. My roommate’s girlfriend and I all held different opinions on who we liked and disliked, but one thing we did agree on was that of the final 3, Genevieve should have won and been crowned King of the Nerds and took home that $100,000 prize.

Celeste did win with the strategy that she spoke of during an interview to stay in the background and act as background noise while the drama forced other people out. This created a positive feeling for her from the rest of the contestants which gave her favor when it came to the final vote. She essentially sneaked out from behind just like Nick did in Season 3 of Bachelor Pad (Yes I watch the Bachelor and Bachelor Pad) and took the crown from other deserving people.

Some people agree that Celeste is the deserving winner because of what she learned and gained from the show. She became more confident in herself and learned to accept who she is as a nerd and as a person, no longer being shy and insecure, which is what every nerd really wants. I did like her as a person and as a competitor, but again I also liked Jar Jar Bink’s, just kidding. I just feel that she played the game well but did not go through the challenges like the others did.

The only way to compare this is to compare the friendship of Celeste and Genevieve to that of the infamous Frodo and Sam. Celeste was to Frodo as Genevieve was to Sam. Sam and Genevieve did all the work, carried their friend and partner on their back (figuratively or literally) and Sam/Genevieve fought off Smeagol (Danielle) even when she tried ripping them apart and cause drama between them. Again, Samwise did most of the work and Frodo got all the credit for the success of the quest. I mean, Genevieve did all the hard work and Celeste got all the credit for it and was crowned King of the Nerds.

List of contestants and the order they left:

Hendrik – I am not going to lie, I was pretty happy that you went home first even though you study ice from Mars.

Jon K – The Hollister shirt wearing self-proclaimed metal head who gained my respect for leaving so humbly after a devastating loss to the villain Alana.

Brandon – He was my favorite male contestant on the show; he had the humor, wittiness, and bravery of a good superhero sidekick. He went home way too soon.

Alana – How you survived for so long, I will never know. The biggest and most shocking surprise about you was the fact that you are married to a person and not to something that requires 2 AA batteries. At least this proves that all nerds have a chance to find love.

Josh – You annoyed the heck out of me. You seriously thought that you were the coolest and buffest nerd of all time. Being a Nerf gun pro is about as rewarding as winning a distance pissing contest.

Virgil – Where to begin on you buddy, I hated you at first but then realized that you were playing the game just as any master tactician or hacker would, you have my respect.

Moogega- She’s a nerd, she loves sex, loves her ass, has big boobs, and works for NASA. Either she is an actress or I have found a Unicorn.

Ivan – The self-proclaimed “Sabretooth” leader who thought he was the smartest and coolest nerd and wore the same 3 zombie shirts over and over again. Buddy you really should read this little book called “The Complete Survival Guide to Zombies” before you tell people their zombie plans will fail because your long mullet hair breaks one of the first rules of zombie survival. They can’t grab what isn’t there.

TOP 3

Danielle – AKA Pinky. Tattooed World of Warcraft master who likes to drink, bitch, and cry. What can I say but that I loved you, although I wish you would have left and accepted your loss with a bit more tact.

Genevieve – With the voice and perkiness of Snow White, how could any person not get annoyed by you after a while. BUT, you love Batman and you survived the Nerd Off three times and showed your worth for your team many times.

Celeste – A gamer nerd who provided great advice to Virgil during the flying competition.

About author

For as long as he can remember, Robert asked the questions that others wouldn't about love, life, and death which brought about his interest in the human psyche and moral compass, resulting in an infatuation with comics, zombies, and movies leading to a long standing relationship with his imagination.